FirstSpirit Connect

The zip file that must first be unzipped in order to install the add-on contains the directory fscontentconnect, which must be copied to the $HYBRISHOME/hybris/bin/custom directory on the Commerce Cloud server. The add-on must also be introduced to the Commerce Cloud server. This is achieved by entering the add-on in the localextensions.xml file in the $HYBRISHOME/hybris/config directory.

Entering the add-on in the localextensions.xml file. 

<hybrisconfig>
   <extensions>
      [...]
      <extension name='fscontentconnect' />
   </extensions>
</hybrisconfig>

In the next installation step, the add-on must be built. This can be achieved using the following command sequence, which must be executed in the $HYBRISHOME/hybris/bin/platform directory of the previously stopped Commerce Cloud server.

// 1.
. ./setantenv.sh

// 2.
ant addoninstall -Daddonnames="fscontentconnect"
-DaddonStorefront.yb2bacceleratorstorefront="yb2bacceleratorstorefront"

// 3.
ant clean all

The first command sets environment variables, the second command adds the add-on to the Commerce Cloud, and the final command triggers the compilation.

To complete the installation of the add-on, the last step is to update the Commerce Cloud server. The update can be executed via the Platform → Update area in the hybris administration console.

The integration of the content maintained in FirstSpirit into the store requires a connection of the Commerce Cloud to the CaaS. For this, the following information is required after the installation of the add-on for both the productive environment as well as the preview:

They are to be specified either for each site used or in the project.properties file in the fscontentconnect directory of the add-on. In contrast to the specifications at the respective site, the parameters in the configuration file always refer to all sites. Therefore they serve as fallback parameters.

The following code block shows an example for the content of the project.properties file:

Example configuration. 

caas-online.apikey=abcdefghijklmn1234567890
caas-online.database=MyProject
caas-online.host=caas.mydomain.com
caas-online.port=80
caas-online.scheme=http

caas-staged.apikey=abcdefghijklmn1234567890
caas-staged.database=MyProject
caas-staged.host=caas-preview.mydomain.com
caas-staged.port=80
caas-staged.scheme=http

content-catalog-id=powertoolsContentCatalog

fscontentconnect.dev=true

The FirstSpirit Connect module allows editors to create Commerce Cloud content using FirstSpirit and to integrate it into the shop. This requires the Commerce Cloud to be connected to the CaaS. The parameters needed for the connection are definable either in the configuration file of the previously installed add-on or for each site. The FirstSpirit Connect module thus allows multiple sites to be connected to FirstSpirit.

The configuration of the sites is done in the Commerce Cloud backoffice. Under the item Administration each site has the fields visible in the following figure.

Figure 2. configuration parameters of a site

The information defined in the fields always refers to the corresponding site only. If no entry exists for a field, the parameter specified in the configuration file of the add-on represents a fallback value. Since the data stored in the configuration file applies to all sites, mixed operation can be implemented in this way. For example, it is possible to store the API Key, the protocol as well as the URL and the port of the CaaS centrally in the configuration file, while the name of the database to be used is specified separately for each site. The site-specific parameters always overwrite the data persisted in the configuration file.

The previously installed and configured add-on FSContentConnect contains the FirstSpiritPreviewFilter. This filter sets the session variables that are required for the integration to work. It requires activation in Commerce Cloud and must be added to the PlatformFilterChain for this purpose.

The delivery includes a B2B accelerator storefront, which contains a spring-filter-config.xml file with the firstSpiritPreviewFilter bean already added to the FilterChainList.

Activating the FirstSpiritPreviewFilter. 

<alias
 name="defaultStorefrontTenantDefaultFilterChainList"
 alias="storefrontTenantDefaultFilterChainList" />
<util:list id="defaultStorefrontTenantDefaultFilterChainList">

   [...]
   <!-- filter to handle requests from FirstSpirit -->
   <ref bean="firstSpiritPreviewFilter"/>

</util:list>

The add-on FSContentConnect, which is included in the delivery and was previously installed and configured, provides the following JSP tags:

These tags are used to query the CaaS content and can be used in the required Commerce Cloud page templates.

In FirstSpirit, the editorial content is created and edited in the ContentCreator. With the help of the Omnichannel Manager, the staged storefront of the Commerce Cloud is embedded in it. The Staged Storefront in turn accesses the Preview CaaS and determines the current FirstSpirit contents from it.

To enable the content from the storefront to be edited in ContentCreator, the Omnichannel Manager JavaScript must be integrated into Commerce Cloud. For this purpose, the Taglib and the tag caas:includeOcmScripts must be integrated into the javaScript.tag file. The delivery includes storefront modifications with Omnichannel Manager already integrated, which renders this step unnecessary.

Integration of the Taglib and the tag caas:includeOcmScripts. 

<%@ taglib prefix="caas" tagdir="/WEB-INF/tags/addons/fscontentconnect/responsive/caas"%>

<caas:includeOcmScripts/>